Monday, September 2, 2013

One Pattern Seven Bloggers - Revisited - The Reveal


Welcome back everyone. Today is an exciting day, as today we are sharing with you our finished Macarons for the 1pattern7bloggers project. We showed you out inspiration and fabric last week, and today, the dress! (Apologies in advance for how picture heavy this post is)


I am really happy with the way my dress turned out. I could have picked an easier lace to work with, but at the time I couldn't find any other laces that I liked (although have seen some since). The lace is quick a thick (and heavy) guipure lace so it was quite tricky to (wo)manhandle the seams into place.


To make the dress the way I wanted to, I had to change up the construction slightly because I'd changed the bodice. I changed the pieces so that the lace for the bodice was all one piece, and then I had the green satin underneath in the style lines of the macaron (although changed slightly, as they were a bit low on me as drafted).


I stitched along the top of the satin underlining and the lining to finish that edge, and then hand basted the satin underlining to the lace (shown above).


After that I stitched up the darts and then treated it just like a normal bodice piece.


The bodice underwent some quite substantial changes to get it to fit. What I ended up doing was actually basically the same as my last 1pattern7bloggers dress and a few dresses since, kind of merging the pattern with my bodice block. I then made up a muslin of the bodice and altered the sweetheart style-lines so that sat in the right spot (ie they covered my bra). This last bit was done with the highly technical technique of drawing on the muslin with a biro while I was wearing it.


The last change I made was to alter the sleeves so that they had a straight hem and I could use the edge of the lace at the sleeve hem, along with using it along the hem of the dress.


I included the skirt as drafted... including the pockets inside one of the pleats, not that you'd know by looking at it...

 

Isn't that just really clever!! It's a sneaky trick I think I'll be using on future projects, that's for sure.


I finished off the hem of the underlining with my new rolled hem foot, isn't it just perfect?? Such a revelation, I can't believe I took so long to get the foot.


I'm still not entirely convinced by the shape of the skirt on me though, I'm not completely sure it's the most flattering silhouette.


Although partly I think that's because I could have nipped the waist in a little more than I did. However that was a deliberate decision not to, as I'm planning on wearing this to Frocktails next weekend, and since we're going out for a delicious dinner I thought a tight waistband would be a rookie mistake!


I finished the seam allowances of the lace and the neckline with black silk organza to try and make the lace that bit neater. It's the first time I've actually used silk organza and I'm very happy with how well it turned out.


And the last construction detail I wanted to share is the hand-picked zip that I added. It's definitely not the best I've ever done. But it's heaps better than a machine stitched zip would have been. It was a bit too tricky for me to try doing a lapped zip with the lace (as I've had less experience with them), so I stuck with a centred zip. It's a little gapey in spots, but it's down the side so it's less visible anyway, right?


I'd like to say thank you to Sarah for taking these photos for me, and wanted to make sure to include this shot of the back of the dress, as she wanted me to share it so you could see the perfectly symmetrical top edge of the underlining...


Anyway, I'm sure you're all just waiting for the announcement of the winners of the massive combined giveaway!


Firstly, another enormous thank you to all the generous sponsors of the giveaway:

 

The winners are:


The winners should receive an email from one of the 7 of us in the very near future to organise getting contact details for your prizes.

             
I hope you've enjoyed our revisiting of this project, and remember to head on over to see how the Macarons of the other 6 talented ladies turned out, I know I can't wait to see them:

25 comments:

  1. oh-so-pretty on you! Especially like the hem. Can't wait to see it in the flesh at the weekend :)

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  2. Oooh so pretty! And no need for apologies for a picture heavy post (nice work Sarah). I love the lace selvedge at the sleeves and hem... just gorgeous. And smart move on leaving a bit of breathability... I'm beginning to thank the sewing gods I'm making mine from a stretchy fabric! So glad the black organza worked for you... and such a fabulous job on the underlining. Looking great!

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  3. Oh my goodness! That first picture is giving off pure, old-glamour, sex appeal. I have about a million gushy things to say but I'll try to keep it short: the more photos the better (especially when it's something this amazing), pocket pleats are a gift from some sewing goddess, I personally think the skirt looks great on you, and that green & black combo is divine. Seriously incredible! xx

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  4. it's gorgeous! i love the colour combo and i think it looks great on you! way to go on the rolled hem foot. i want to get one but am too scared!

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  5. This is a really beautiful dress - well done!

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  6. You look amazing! This is such a pretty dress, and I especially love the lace hems. I think the silhouette of the skirt looks lovely on you. So chic!

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  7. This is gorgeous Rachel! That lace is stunning. I love the border on the hem. The pockets on macaron are clever aren't they. I love a dress with a pocket!

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  8. Firstly you look gorgeous.
    Secondly that dress is such a stunner!
    I especially love your sneaky pocket pleats and my god that lace is to die for!
    Such a good dress to sip cocktails in - have a fab time!!

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  9. Smashing, Rach! I can't wait to see this one on Saturday!!!

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  10. Lovely!!! Thanks for the pictures - I love the details and all the different angles - thank you ;)
    I can't wait to see it in person on Saturday
    - and pockets - love pockets! bonus, I get to sew my own now - yay to giveaways, & Thanks to everyone ;)

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  11. Wow, Rachel! Gorgeous! It's so very elegant! You did an amazing job on this dress!

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  12. I would never have even guessed that this was the Macaron. I love the lace overlay you did and that chartreuse colour underneath is very pretty!

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  13. Oh, please don't apologise for the pictures- we looooove the pictures!

    That dress is simply gorgeous, and you look gorgeous in it. Happy frocktailing!

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  14. This is so gorgeous Rachel! I'm loving the chic lace, which makes the dress look very expensive and high end indeed! I've also been in two minds about the Macaron skirt, but I think it definitely really suits you and is totally flattering!

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  15. I love this as an evening dress! I especially love your colour combination and you've definitely inspired me to try and make a dress with a lace over lay. Just gorgeous!!

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  16. This is incredible! I think my favorite detail is the lace edge as the hem. For one, it looks gorgeous, and two, saves you time in skipping having to hem it! I am super impressed with your rolled hem on the satin. It looks seriously professional. It turned out so pretty!!

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  17. Gorgeous - I think the colour of the satin is unexpected but absolutely perfect to bring out the guipure lace.

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  18. Such beautiful sewing - fabulous work Rachel! See you soon...

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  19. The lace-olive green combo is really cool, Rachel!

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  20. you look so happy =] Thank you for including all the construction details, it was very interesting - I think your zip looks wonderful, any little exposed bits are hidden by the black and the lace =]

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  21. Great move on the picture heavy post, means we can see all the details!! I really like the finished product and am looking forward to seeing it in person on Saturday. The satin looks lovely underneath and I like your little changes to use the edges of the lace.
    I like the silhouette on you, I think it is very flattering.
    See you soon!!

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  22. Pretty dress, all your stitching looks flawless :)

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  23. That rolled hem looks so delicious!!!! :)

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  24. I think you'd done a great job and the lace is quite beautiful.

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Comments make me smile :)

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